IRTRHP 03

Episode 3: Twisted Fate

Aileen clenched her fists, resisting the urge to look up at Grand Duke Rihast. Only after her nails dug into her palms, distracting her from the sharp tension, could she force her frozen mind to turn again.

He released his pheromones.

Among alphas, one’s pheromones could feel repulsive to another. That must be why the alpha butler had clutched his neck in agony—Rihast’s pheromones were too dominant to withstand. And her brother Ethan, being an omega, would have reacted in a completely different way.

Aileen forced her tightly pressed lips into a smile, hoping it would look like the composed, confident one she meant it to be.

“A rat, you say? No matter how shabby our count’s estate might seem, it’s kept perfectly clean.”

“Then that sound we just heard wasn’t a rat, was it? Shouldn’t someone check it out?”

“That’s something our butler can handle. It’s the duty of the one managing the household—thank you for your concern, Your Grace.”

The clear line she drew—don’t meddle in someone else’s house—made the Grand Duke turn his eyes to her.

Could she really endure that gaze much longer?

The longer he stared, the heavier it became, but the Grand Duke showed no sign of backing down. A palpable tension filled the invisible air between them—pheromones that Aileen couldn’t even see. And then, Rihast broke the silence first.

“A weak alpha who looks like she’d collapse from a touch, a beta who’d topple from a finger, and pitiful betas outside.”

His detached tone made Aileen’s chest tighten.

He was talking about her, the butler, and the knights outside—belittling all of them with the same cold indifference.

“Is this really an environment where you can let your guard down?”

It took all of Aileen’s strength to maintain her smile.

Every word from his mouth scraped at her pride. His contempt for their weakness, for her house, for everything she represented, made her want to silence that arrogant mouth herself.

“Does it really matter whether we’re weak alphas or betas right now?”

“Then shall I put it another way?”

“That’s unnecessary.”

“Very well, then…”

His low voice brushed over her skin like a whisper, and Aileen swallowed hard, fighting her nerves.

“I want to confirm for myself what made that sound.”

As if to say, “You’re too incompetent to handle this yourself, so I’ll do it for you.”

“Do you even have the right to refuse me?”

“And do you, Your Grace, have the right—”

She meant to say to interfere in a house that isn’t yours.

But before she could finish, he was suddenly in front of her. Aileen’s eyes widened—the towering man’s body loomed close enough to feel suffocating. Then, without another glance, the Grand Duke brushed past her and began ascending the stairs.

Her blood ran cold.

He was going to find Ethan. Maybe releasing his pheromones earlier had been a deliberate act—to locate her brother. Suddenly, his every move and word made terrifying sense.

If she didn’t stop him now, he would find Ethan. Desperation clutched her throat, and Aileen’s heart pounded painfully as she reached out.

“Your proposal—my answer.”

The Grand Duke halted. When he turned, Aileen swallowed hard.

He was already tall, but standing two steps above her made the distance feel insurmountable. The height difference was like a physical embodiment of their stations—she was calling out to someone she shouldn’t even be looking up to.

“I’ll do it.”

Words tumbled out before she could think.

“I’ll marry you.”

Aileen’s body wanted to flinch under his heavy gaze, but she forced herself still. She didn’t know what else to do—he had proposed before, and now this was the only way to stop him. She wished she had more time, but time was exactly what she didn’t have.

Rihast watched her for a long moment before turning away.

“There’s no time for formalities. We’ll go now and prepare immediately.”

His tone was businesslike, detached. Aileen lowered her head and nodded heavily.

“Please… give me a moment.”

“Did you not hear me? I said there’s no time.”

He seized her arm, turning her toward the door. She stumbled slightly as he pulled her along.

A carriage waited at the entrance, black and imposing like a monster’s open jaws. Aileen’s toes dug into the ground instinctively.

If she stepped into that thing, she felt she’d never come back.

Annoyed by her hesitation, Rihast gave her back a light push.

“Get in.”

His quiet insistence left no room for refusal. Reluctantly, Aileen climbed inside. The carriage was fitted with special insulation panels—to prevent pheromones from escaping. Only the wealthiest nobles could afford such a thing.

Which meant one thing only—he’d come ready to take someone away.

“Despicable man.”

She glared at the carriage wall, seething silently. When it began to move, she opened the window and watched her home shrink into the distance.

Her brother was still in the attic. How confused he must be—his sister, who had hidden him moments ago, now riding away with the very man who was hunting him.

But this is the only way.

Aileen closed her eyes, her expression solemn.

If Ethan were to get into this carriage, she knew what would follow—an unstoppable disaster she’d already lived through once.

Her fingers found the necklace at her throat. Whenever fear or sorrow overwhelmed her, she would clutch it. It held no power, yet somehow, it calmed her.

She traced the edge of the pendant absently—then froze as realization dawned.

“This necklace…”

She lifted it. The pendant was simple yet elegant, engraved with a crest combining her and Ethan’s initials.

Aileen slowly opened it. Inside was a tiny photograph—her parents, Ethan, and herself.

She pressed her forehead against it, tears stinging her eyes.

Everything she remembered—the suicides, the ruin of their family, her own miserable marriage—all of it had been real.

She had died once, fallen from a cliff, and time had rewound.

This necklace proved it.

It was a keepsake she had given Ethan to commemorate his marriage to the Grand Duke—an event that had not yet happened.

It was an impossible object from the future.

“You’re really going?”

Ethan turned at Aileen’s trembling voice. Asking the Grand Duke for a moment, he approached her. His hand rested gently on her head, patting it like always.

“Grandfather said the engagement between our family and the Grand Duke’s was the greatest fortune we could hope for. I thought you’d be the one to marry him, not me.”

“Brother… can’t you stay?”

“Aileen, don’t cry.”

He smiled softly, brushing her cheek.

“From the moment I became an omega, I knew this day would come. It’s fate—you can’t run from it. I’ll visit often after the wedding… or you can come to me.”

“But… you’re supposed to marry someone you love.”

Ethan didn’t look sad or discouraged, even though he was marrying a man he barely knew.

He accepted it calmly, as though it were simply destiny.

“Of course, marrying for love is ideal. But there are things more important than that—like family, lineage…”

Seeing his sister’s confusion, he added quietly:

“Between us, his pheromone scent is… incredible. I actually don’t hate it.”

His expression didn’t match his words, but as a beta, Aileen had no way to understand what that meant, so she believed him.

“Someday, when you present as well, you’ll understand.”

“Do you… like it?”

“Hm? What?”

He bent closer, not catching her soft question.

“Do you like being an omega?”

Ethan blinked, thinking deeply—as he always did when she asked something serious. He never dismissed her questions, not even as a child.

After a long pause, he finally opened his mouth.